1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to locking systems and, more particularly, to locking systems as for doors on vehicles.
2. Background Art
Van-style vehicles are commonly made with a number of doors that can be repositioned, as by sliding and/or pivoting, to gain access to a cargo storage space. Vehicles of this type are commonly used in the trades to transport products, parts therefor, and tools. The van construction is desirable from the standpoint that it affords a substantial volume of storage space, yet is maneuverable much like a passenger vehicle, and can be relatively economically operated. Front and side doors permit convenient access to different regions of the storage space, thereby allowing substantially the entire cargo space to be practically utilized.
The convenience of multiple access doors also makes this type of vehicle vulnerable to theft. Company identification prominently displayed on the exterior of the vehicle provides a general indication of the potential contents of the cargo space to observers. Consequently, those purveying and servicing expensive equipment must often take extra precautions to deter thievery.
Rear access doors are commonly mounted in pairs and pivoted at their sides to open away from each other. This may expose a substantial unobstructed area for introduction of articles into, and removal of articles from, the storage space.
In one common construction, one of the doors in the pair is designed to be locked directly to the vehicle frame. A lock actuator is located on the inside of this door and can be accessed from within the storage space or from externally thereof with the other door open. The other door is in turn latched and locked relative to the door that is locked to the frame. The latching mechanism between the doors can be placed selectively in latched and latched and locked states. Typically, this lock feature is operational through a key externally of the vehicle.
Regardless of the quality of the latching assembly that is incorporated into the vehicle as original equipment, this type of structure is prone to being defeated by thieves. This has prompted the incorporation of a redundant locking system that is commonly seen on van doors on a large percentage of commercial vehicles.
In one exemplary form, a pair of brackets is provided and mounted, one each to the doors in the cooperating pair. With a decades-old design, these brackets are mounted facially to the external surfaces of the doors, as by bolts. The brackets have offset, apertured tabs/flanges that situate adjacent to each other with the doors in the closed state therefor. A lock component can then be directed through the aligned apertures to prevent opening of the doors.
One of the most common locks systems is what is known in the industry as a “puck” lock. A puck-shaped casing has a receptacle for the aligned bracket tabs/flanges. With the tabs/flanges within the receptacle, a bolt is repositioned to be directed through the aligned tab/flange apertures. The bolt may be repositioned through a push button assembly or key operated. In the former case, a key operated system can be incorporated to lock the bolt.
This type of lock system has been well accepted by the industry and has been quite effective in terms of deterring theft. However this system, like most, has some limitations, including some that compromise its effectiveness.
A would-be thief can attempt to defeat the above system by twisting the puck-shaped casing around its central axis. For example, an annular circumferential surface thereon lends itself to the placement of a conventional pipe wrench. By forcibly turning the thickened mass of the casing, one or more of the interacting components may be caused to fail. The failure may be the result of the severance of the bracket tabs/flanges, separation of the brackets from the vehicles doors, and/or failure of one or more components on the puck lock itself.
In spite of the limitations that the conventional puck lock has had for decades, the industry has contended therewith since no viable commercial solutions have been devised to date. Theft, however, continues to be a very significant problem with vans and a number of other types of vehicles that use this basic lock system configuration. The industry continues to seek system designs and modifications that make vehicles more secure against theft.